It is well known that an electronic device exposed to moisture can damage the electronic components within said device. Moisture exposure can be quite costly, as it requires replacement of the electronic device in addition to significant inconvenience for the user as, often, contact information, photographs, text messages, video, and other media stored on the device may not be recoverable. If the data and information is recoverable, it is likely a very expensive and inconvenient process for the user. One study found that 40% of all cell phone insurance claims are the result of water damage. However, most cell phone insurance policies do not cover water damage.
Existing solutions include placing the moisture-filled cell phone into a Ziploc® bag with rice, or silica packets. Although, rice is generally more readily available a typical consumers, it is not very practical because rice does not work as efficiently to draw out moisture as other materials. Further, rice is considered one of the grittiest grains and therefore leaves grain sediment on the phone and within the i/o ports, connectors, and crevices. Therefore, cleaning the cell phone after the process is extremely cumbersome. Most consumers do not have silica packets readily available at their disposal when the emergency situation arises. Accordingly, when the situation arises, the individual's cell phone may not be recoverable by the time the individual orders and receives the silica packets, or attempts to locate a retail establishment that sells silica packets.
Other solutions include plastic, disposable, single-use bags. However, these solutions only provide for a single use and are expensive considering their limited single-use application. They are also a hassle because, after a single use, consumers are required to purchase another single-use bag for another emergency situation, which reduces the likelihood that the bag will be readily available when needed to remove moisture in a subsequent emergency situation.
Patent application Ser. No. 11/999,786, filed by Nicholas Andrew Forker (hereinafter “Forker”), discloses an apparatus and method to remove moisture from a portable electronic device. Forker describes an airtight, sealable container that is divided by an air and moisture permeable barrier into a compartment for a device and a compartment for desiccant silica gel. The silica gel is provided in a separate container and selectively dispensed by the user into the desiccant compartment when desired for use. Unfortunately, the apparatus and method described in Forker has several disadvantages. Due to the disposition of the desiccant compartment adjacent a single side of the device compartment, the removal of fluid from the device is less efficient and therefore requires a longer time period to dry out the device. Further, as described above, it very cumbersome to require consumers to purchase additional desiccant in order to be able to use the apparatus again for subsequent emergency situations. Yet, all know methods and apparatuses for utilizing desiccant to remove moisture from electronic devices requires and teaches acquisition of new, unused desiccant for subsequent occasions that require moisture removal. In fact, Forker expressly states that “desiccant has a finite capacity for absorbing moisture, and once desiccant is saturated with moisture it is usually not practical to recycle it.” Accordingly, it is generally known in the desiccant drying arts to avoid re-using desiccant material that has already been used to absorb moisture. Therefore, existing solutions direct consumers to dispose of used desiccant material and acquire new, unused desiccant for subsequent drying occasions. This is a disadvantage of using desiccant to remove moisture from electronic devices. In particular, it is cumbersome and greatly reduces the likelihood that the desiccant material will be readily available when needed to remove moisture in subsequent emergency situations.
Existing solutions also require an airtight sealed container. Forker teaches as much by explaining that an airtight seal “ensures that the desiccant absorbs only water from the portable electronic device, and not from the general environment.” That being said, fasteners for sealing containers in an airtight manner are more complex and expensive to manufacture and design. Other known devices used to remove moisture from electronic devices involve relatively complex and expensive devices typically requiring the use of a vacuum pump.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.